AngularJS is one of the most powerful javascript framework in the world today. Mainly maintained by Google, it is used by developers all over the world to create web applications, especially single-page web applications.

It is often the frontend of the MEAN stack which also uses other frameworks like MongoDB, Node.js, and Express.js.

AngularJS is open-source and uses a simple Model-View-Controller framework that is very similar to the basic framework used by Javascript in general. It is supported by a huge community and updates to the framework are regular and meaningful.

The last major version release for the framework was Angular 7 which was released on 18th October 2018 and the next major version, Angular 8 was released around 2019.

In this article, we look at some of the most anticipated features that are present in the latest version of the world’s favorite javascript framework.

#1 – Preview of Ivy

Ivy is a testing feature that’ll come bundled with AngularJS 8. It is an innovation in the testing aspect of the framework. With the preview of Ivy, you will get a new rendering tool which can help you in testing your web app.

Do note that Angular 8 will only contain a preview of Ivy which wouldn’t be switched on by default. It is an opt-in feature and you will have to enable it, which can be done just by turning the Ivy switch on. In order to enable Ivy in your code, you will have to use the following switch in the code “-enable-ivy”. Ivy is going to change the way we test our apps forever and Angular 8 is a great framework to start it with.

#2 – Lazy Loading

Even though lazy loading is a part of the current Angular version, it is expected to be improved and made much more convenient in Angular 8. Lazy loading is a routing technique used in AnuglarJS that aims to speed up the loading time of the web app. It does so simply by ensuring that only those web resources are loading which is requested by the browser.

A lot of improvements will be seen in terms of lazy loading in Angular 8. Most developers will also notice that Angular 8 will support EcmaScript imports which are dynamic.

#3 – Node 10 Support

NodeJS and AngularJS are two javascript frameworks that are often used together as part of the MEAN stack when it comes to developing web applications. Angular 8 is going to be fully compatible with the latest version of NodeJS, Node 10.

This will be particularly useful to web developers who rely heavily on the MEAN stack and make their lives a lot easier. NodeJS and AngularJS are two of the most commonly used combos when developing web applications and increasing the compatibility between the different frameworks will make designing, maintaining, and updating web applications with new technology a lot easier.

#4 – TypeScript 3.1 support

TypeScript is essentially used to make coding in JavaScript much easier and convenient. It was developed by Microsoft to provide a tool that makes the life of a web developer much easier when it comes to coding in Javascript. Angular uses TypeScript and that’s essentially the syntax followed by the framework. You code something in TypeScript which Angular then coverts into plain javascript and runs it online.

Angular 8 comes with the support of TypeScript 3.1 which is a pretty major update over the previous iterations of the framework. Developers can now use all the latest features of TypeScript when working on their Angular projects. This not only makes coding in Angular easier but makes the codebase much more efficient and easy to understand due to the simplicity of TypeScript.

#5 – CLI Prompt

During the development process of any app, there are a lot of iterations and there is also the use of different processes throughout the entire development period. By the time the first stable version of the app is released, a lot of those features that were present during the development cycle would be removed from the app.

To make the development process easier, Angular 8 comes with a new feature known as CLI prompt. The CLI prompt enables you to selectively pick the processes that you want to be included in the running version of your app. This, in turn, means that you have complete control over the CLI which aids a lot when it comes to the development of web apps.

#6 – Other CLI Features

Due to the CLI prompt, there are a number of other features that come into play with Angular 8. These features can help developers create better apps in a shorter timeframe and make the Javascript framework even better. Some of the best features provided by the complete control over CLI include the following:

1. You have the option of virtual scrolling which can be a shortcut to manually scrolling through a lot of options. This feature is usually found under the UI libraries.
2. Reordering lists and changing the places of elements is known to be somewhat problematic in Angular. With complete control over the CLI in Angular 8, you can simply just drag and drop elements to replace or reorder them.
3. The latest version of Angular 8 also supports the ShadowDOM API.

#7 – Differential Loading

Differential Loading is an Angular 8 feature that will make web apps load faster and perform better. Differential loading is a simple concept but it can really boost the performance of most web apps.

Essentially, when you build the code for production, two different bundles are created instead of just one. One of them will support ES2015+ and then there will be another bundle that will provide support for the older browsers that still only run the ES5 version of JavaScript.

The correct bundle will be automatically loaded based on browser data. This will result in web apps loading a lot faster and performing better because modern browsers would have to deal with less code and a lower amount of polyfills.

#8 – Web workers

JavaScript, by definition, has always been single-threaded. Most tasks are handled asynchronously because of the single-threaded nature of JavaScript. However, complex calculations are not really that fast on single-threads.

As JavaScript is being increasingly used in frameworks like Angular to create web apps all over the world, the requirements have become more intensive. This is where web workers come into play. Although they are not exactly a part of Angular 8, this version of the framework does come with a way to implement web workers via the CLI.

With web workers, it becomes much easier to perform complex calculations and tasks which are CPU-intensive in a background thread while the main thread deals with updating the user interface in real-time. Web workers will allow developers to create even more powerful online apps and are a sign of things to come in the future.

#9 – Bazel

Angular 8 allows you to build your CLI application with Bazel, in a much more faster and convenient manner now. There are many advantages of using Bazel to build your applications including being able to make your backend and frontend with the same tool, incremental build and tests, and remote builds and cache.

Most developers would appreciate the incremental build and tests that are part of Bazel. It makes the application development and testing process a lot easier as subsequent rebuilds work on an increment level and run only those tests which are required instead of testing all aspects of the web application all over again. This will not only make the lives of developers easier but it’ll also reduce the build and rebuild times for most web developers across the world.

#10 – Dynamic imports for the lazy routes

Lastly, most people familiar with Angular know that loading lazy routes required using a custom string in the previous versions of Angular. However, with Angular 8, it is possible to dynamically import lazy routes too.

Whereas the previous syntax used to be –

{path: ‘/teacher’, loadChildren: ‘./teacher/teacher.module#TeacherModule’ }

With Angular 8’s support for lazy routing, the syntax now would look something like this –

{path: `/teacher`, loadChildren: () => import(`./teacher/teacher.module`).then(s => s.TeacherModule) }

This feature will make the code base more standardized. If you use the ng-upgrade command to update your app to the latest version of Angular 8, you’ll notice all imports for lazy routes will be changed to the new syntax.

Conclusion

Angular 8 is one of the best Java frameworks in the world today. It is supported by one of the biggest coding communities in the world and along with other frameworks like NodeJS and MongoDB, it has made JavaScript the language of the internet.

Due to a pretty big community of coders behind the framework, there are always exciting new improvements and developments in the core framework of Angular. Most of these changes are driven by the community which is what makes Angular so popular in the web development community across the world.

Visit us today at GoodWorkLabs and learn more about us!

The power of a MEAN stack development

A few years ago MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS and Node.js were raising eyebrows individually but now together they are turning heads. This stack has become invaluable to the software industry of 2017 and possesing these skills can make your company an enticing option for bigger sharks scanning the sea out there. So, let’s find out why you should make this switch!

1. Overall simplicity and common structure

MongoDB offers a more flexible and accommodating layer for storing data while Node.js provides a much better nexus for running your server and Express.js comes in with support in standardizing how you build your websites. AngularJS provides a clean way of adding interactive functions along with AJAX-driven rich components, for the clients. Together, they create a clean, coherent mechanism for transferring data from user to disk farm and back.

2. Built for the cloud

MongoDB is made for the cloud. The MEAN stack offers a compelling database layer in MongoDB and it comes equipped with full cluster support and automatic sharding straight out of the box. Initiate MongoDB and it will spread across your cluster of servers to offer failover support and automatic replication. Since, cloud allows the easy development and testing of apps there’s no doubt to not consider MongoDB for your next project.

3. Node.js Simplifies the Server Layer

Navigating through the multiple layers of the LAMP stack can be tough as it has one shuffling through various configuration files with differing syntax. MEAN simplifies this with Node.js. Want to change how your app routes requests? Add JavaScript and let Node.js do the rest. Want to rewrite URLs or construct an odd mapping, use JavaScript. The MEAN stack’s reliance on Node.js converts all this kind of work in one language, and all in one pile of logic. Having everything in one layer = less confusion and reduced amount of weird bugs created by strange interactions between multiple layers.

4. AngularJS is fresh

There are plenty of good PHP-based frameworks that work with MySQL but each is a big different and moving in its own direction, so, for the most part if you wish to perform any actions on the client side, you’re on your own. For instance, WordPress, Joomla and Drupal offer differing strategies, making it hard to switch between them, let alone transfer code from one to another. Appointing one client framework adds consistency and stability. AngularJS’s templating system and logic layers are significantly clearer than what we have seen before, and this makes it a perfect candidate to run your project.

5. Make your code isomorphic

The simplicity doesn’t end with using JavaScript on the server but rather continues with being able to use it on the client side too! Let’s say for example, you write code for Node and decide it would be better placed in AngularJS you can transfer it with ease and be almost certain that it would run the same way. This adaptability makes programming MEAN based apps A LOT easier. Moreover, in terms of staffing for a project you don’t need to look for a PHP expert, a front-end and back-end specialist, it’s all JavaScript across the stack.

6. Uniformity with JSON

MongoDB, Node.js, AngularJS, and Express.js all speak JSON. This helps the data flow neatly among all layers without rewriting or reformatting. PHP may already have the code to import to MySQL data and make it easy to process in PHP but that doesn’t help in the client layer. MEAN uses the same JSON format for data everywhere, making it simpler and more time sensitive in terms of reformatting  as it passes through each layer. JSON’s popularity through the MEAN stack makes it easier to work with external APIs.

Signing Off

Of course, you can always mix and match! ….if you’re really picky. Plenty of developers use MongoDB with Apache and PHP while others prefer to use MySQL with Node.js. More than that, AngularJS works really well with any server. So, don’t become a slave to the acronyms!

The Battle Of Frameworks

When it comes to building cross-platform apps, developers face critical challenges in the planning phase. The main debate revolves around the nature of the app. Should it be a hybrid application or simply a native one? However, if you have already made up your mind to work on the native platform, these choices aren’t that relevant. It’s here that you need to find out the most effective native app development software.

With the presence of both Angular 2 native code and Facebook’s React Native, developers will have a tough time making the final choice. Let’s take a look at both these options for a complete and successful comparison.

React-Native has been around for about 2 years, and became a really interesting framework since it can be used for Android and let us build cross-platform mobile apps. A few contributors also customized the framework to build desktop apps for Mac and Windows, which is quite amazing.

Angular Native is a relatively new JavaScript framework by Google, designed to make the front-end development as easy as possible. There are plenty of frameworks and plugins available. It can sometimes prove difficult to sift through all of the noise to find useful tools. It is much better than Angular 1. It is simpler on a high level, simpler on a lower level, and faster to achieve basically everything.

The emergence of React Native

React Native emerged into the professional arena in the year 2015. As one of the most unique and useful offerings by Facebook, this particular tool revolutionized native app development processes. Here are some crucial benefits of using it:

Using the same code

With React Native, developers had the opportunity to use same-base JavaScript coding on both the platforms including Android and iOS. The tangential reliability on DOM was the prime reason for its popularity.

Supporting UI Views

React Native allows similar coding for alert windows on both the platforms including Androids and iOS. Developers won’t have to create separate codes for each of these platforms. They can now build high-performance native apps within a single code-structure.

Understanding Native Script

Compared to React, NativeScript has a complete and holistic approach towards app development. Developers can create it for once and run it across devices and platforms. Although possibilities of low-level UI components will be there, NativeScript is trying quite hard to fill those gaps.

Coupled with the features of Angular 2, this particular tool will help you create consistent applications. Developers will have better opportunities to conceptualize and create robust applications.

Drawing comparisons

A comparative study of both these tools will help you take a decision. The multi-platform features present in React Native supports the differences between various UIs. Quite naturally, this aspect imparts a unique flexibility and scalability to applications developed using React Native.

On the other end, NativeScript believes in creating universal experiences. Irrespective of the platform, applications will have similar UI experiences. When it comes to using NativeScript with Angular 2, you will require a distinctive and different coding architecture. However, that’s not the case with React Native.

Making the right choice

While picking the right option amongst these two, developers are often in a state of confusion. Both these tools have their special highlights which make them the best choices for native app development. It’s here that developers need to make the decisive move. Depending on your project needs, you will have to pick the right alterNative.

If your application contains numerous complex UI elements, React Native will be the right option for you. However, if you need single cross-platform coding for your application, Native Script can fulfill your demands. The crucial thing to realize when comparing the two native-focused approaches is that React Native and Native Script share a fundamental difference in approach to how they construct native apps from the same code base. Native Script takes a holistic approach, working to be a true ‘Write it once, run it anywhere’ framework. This means that a lot of the UI elements used will be decidedly lower-level, as NativeScript is attempting to manage the UI in a transparent and repeatable way between the multiple platforms it supports.

Add in the coupling with Angular 2, and you can create cross-platform applications that, through the virtue of Angular’s declarative UI focus, are more conceptually consistent than an application having to interpret between multiple UI paradigms.

Cross-platform application development has seen many rapid developments, and the recent flood of cross-platform and native development frameworks will only continue this pattern. Choosing between React Native and a combination of Angular 2 and Native Script is, in many ways, similar to choosing between React and Angular themselves.

React is designed as a blazing-fast lightweight rendering framework to be leveraged within the context of a larger application, and React Native continues this pattern of providing tools instead of patterns. Angular, on the other hand, is an opinionated application development framework that has a “right way” of developing applications in mind, something that the integration of Angular 2 and NativeScript carries further at the slight expense of deeper native device integration.

Thus the choice between the two is largely the same.

Is your application focused on complex UI with lots of rendering and custom elements?

If so, React Native might be the right choice for you. However, if having a single cross-platform code base with a declarative UI paradigm is more in-line with what you foresee for your application’s architecture, then combining Angular 2 and NativeScript can help you realize the same gains, all the while maintaining similar development patterns and program architecture.

The Choice is ultimately yours!

If you would like to know more about how you can use these technologies to build applications for your business, just drop us a quick message with your requiremnts

Gone are the days when consumers had the time to wait in queues for getting a job done. The present times herald the emergence of mobile applications allowing operations on the go and instantly. From paying restaurant bills to spending on utility charges, a highly interactive and easy-to-use app is all that users need to make their lives convenient. And this fact is supported by industry statistics which say that smartphone users spend a whopping 89% of their time on mobile apps.

With this increasing popularity of mobile applications, enterprises are finding it highly essential and imperative to get app-ready or lose out on revenues and user base to competition.  And it’s here that they look for the most functional app development frameworks.

Introducing AngularJS

As one of the most interactive and unique open-source app development frameworks, AngularJS is ruling the app development arena for quite some time now. It happens to be a client-side and highly advanced MVW framework, which is currently riding high on popularity with adequate support from enterprises and individuals.

As one of the revolutionary offerings from Google, AngularJS improves HTML codes in web applications alongside simplifying testing, development, deployment, and numerous other processes.

What’s in there for you?

While AngularJS 1.4 happens to be the first framework, the latest 2.0 version is also coming up with great opportunities for prolific app developers. The latter version significantly differs from the former, thus offering a complete rewritten edition of the entire framework.

If you are looking for a highly effective framework for your enterprise app development projects, AngularJS will undoubtedly be the best option for you. Here are some benefits that will tell you why.

Unraveling the benefits

Leveraging AngularJS can prove to be beneficial in ways more than one. Especially, when it comes to mobile app development for your organization, there’s no denying the significance of this framework. Some of the key benefits include:

      I.          Mobility-driven: With a unique mobility-driven approach, AngularJS delivers extraordinary performances in mobile app development. In an effort to keep up with changing client preferences, developers wish to include mobile-specific features such as touch support, performance tuning, and low memory. With AngularJS, it becomes easier to add these features even while developing desktop applications.

II.          Modern and faster browsers: With more stress and emphasis on browsers such as Opera, Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and IE10/11, AngularJS will have a compact and short codebase. As the result, this particular framework will support all the latest app development features, without thinking too much about polyfills and backward compatibility. That will make the app development process simpler than ever!

III.          Easy applicability: In spite of the presence of critical technicalities, the latest AngularJS version offers a simple interface to app developers. The new code will inevitably make coding a lot easier than it was before.

IV.          Transformed DI: Known for its DI or Dependency Injection, AngularJS is quite different from its competitors. With unique coding features, this particular framework will save developers from the horrors of writing extensive codes.

Parting views

In the US alone, mobile media time is at 51%. This simply underlines the critical importance played by future ready frameworks such as AngularJS. At Goodworklabs, our professional competency in AngularJS will assist in meeting the app development needs of both enterprises and individuals. Connect with us today with your requirement.